Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), Oct 22 : Chandrayaan-1, India''s spacecraft mission to moon was launched today from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Dr. G Madhavan Nair described it as a ‘historic’ moment for India.

According to scientists at the SDSC, it was a ''normal'' liftoff.

The spacecraft is carrying eleven payloads (scientific instruments) and weighs about 1,380 kg at the time of its launch. It was shaped like a cuboid with the solar panel projecting from one of its sides.

Of the eleven payloads, five are entirely designed and developed in India, three from European Space Agency, one from Bulgaria and two from the US.

Chandrayaan-1 would put India in the elite lunar club comprising Russia, US, Japan, China and European Space Agency, who had undertaken unmanned exploratory missions to the moon.

The mission intends to put an unmanned spacecraft into an orbit around the moon and to perform remote sensing of the nearest celestial neighbour for about two years with eleven payloads.

It would reach the moon surface after five and half days. Later, the moon impact probe would be ejected from Chandrayaan-1 to hit the moon surface in a chosen area.

Chandrayaan-1 satellite would orbit the Moon at an altitude of 100 km mapping the topography and the mineralogical content of the lunar soil.

Chandrayaan-1 is also carry a Moon Impact Probe payload for demonstrating the technology needed towards landing on the Moon’s surface.

India believes the Rs 386-crore lunar mission is a step towards its quest for exploration of outer space and inter-planetary missions. (ANI)